La Communion solennelle (1977)

La Communion solennelle is a French film comedy-drama first released in 1977, directed by René Féret.  The film stars Christian Drillaud, Claude Bouchery, Isabelle Caillard, Patrick Fierry and Véronique Silver.  It has also been released under the title: Solemn Communion.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


During a grand reunion, a French family remembers its history over three generations, from 1890 to the present day.  Romantic liasions, marriages, separations, family disputes are recalled, against the backdrop of war and societal upheavals.

This is a beautifully filmed kaleidoscope of memories, vividly depicting various periods in provincial France over the last 100 years.  The sense of nostalgia is amplified by a heart-tugging song which adds narrative to an otherwise unstructured film.

Unfortunately, because the film simply relates a long sequence of apparently trivial incidents, it quickly becomes boring.  It is mainly the quality of the photography which prevents you from losing interest in the film.

© James Travers 2000

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